Motorola Atrix 4G Screen Replacement

Written By: Jake

Comments: 13

Difficulty

Difficult

Steps

Time Required

No estimate

Introduction

Use this guide to replace the screen of the Motorola Atrix 4G. To remove the screen you will first need to remove the battery, open the phone and remove the motherboard. Be ready to use a plastic opening tool, T5 Torx Screwdriver, spudger and head gun or hair dryer.

Tools

Step 1

Pry the back cover off the back of the phone.

Use the word "prying" rather than sliding. We were confused during this step.

Ben Sweeney -

Step 2

Insert a spudger into the small notch at the base of the battery.
Lift the battery out of the phone.

Step 3

Remove the four 5.0 mm T5 Torx screws using a T5 Torx Screwdriver.
Remove the three 5.5 mm T5 Torx screws using a T5 Torx Screwdriver.
Use gentle force while unscrewing to avoid stripping the screws.

Not a phillips head screwdriver. Indicate the appropriate tool.

Ben Sweeney -

Hex head screwdriver.

Ben Sweeney -

Step 4

Lift up the black rubber flap using an opening tool.
Remove the single 5.5 mm T5 Torx screw using a T5 Torx Screwdriver.

Step 5

Gently lift the tabs located at the top of the phone using an opening tool.
Gently lift the tab located at the bottom of the phone with the same tool.
Use an opening tool, not your fingers, because the plastic tabs are easily broken.

Red boxes around the tabs so all can be seen clearly. Change the bullet point to red to accommodate said boxes.

rubixtriangle -

Step 6

Insert an opening tool between the front and back of the case.
Slide the tool down the side of the phone.
Repeat the same process for the other side.
There should be a noticeable gap between the front and back cases. If not, repeat this step.

Step 7

Carefully lift the back case off the phone.
Do not completely separate the back case from the phone. The antenna is connected to both cases.

Step 8

Slide an opening tool beneath the antenna and lift straight up from the motherboard.
Lift straight upwards, not at an angle, to avoid damaging the socket underneath.

Specify--lift beneath it near the gold metal piece located on the phone (not the back case)

Ben Sweeney -

Step 9

Ease the antenna from out of its guide along the side of the phone
Remove the back case and the antenna from the phone.
The antenna is soldered to the back case. When reassembling, do not pull it with too much force.

Add picture for "easing out of the guide." Also, specify that you must unclip the guide from the phone.

Ben Sweeney -

Step 10

Insert a spudger between the black plastic and the motherboard.
Lift upwards with the spudger to dislodge the board.
The motherboard should lift up easily. If the white rubber piece shifts, move it back to its original place.

Specify "right side."

Ben Sweeney -

Not clear instructions. Clear/white rubber piece came off during removal--make a note of that possibility.

Ben Sweeney -

Step 11

Disconnect the press connectors using a spudger.
If you are unfamiliar with using connectors, consult this guide.

Add color bullets.

Ben Sweeney -

Step 12

Lift the white latch on the ZIF connector using a spudger.
Gently pull the black ribbon down and away from the latch.

Step 13

There should be five distinct parts of the phone: the back cover, the back case, the front case, the battery, and the motherboard.

Step 14

Using a heat gun or a hair dryer on high heat, soften the adhesive securing the glass screen.
Direct the hot air along the front edges of the glass until the phone is warm to the touch.

Step 15

Using a plastic opening tool, carefully pry up the bottom of the display glass.
Slowly work your way around the phone, using the plastic opening tool to separate the glass from the phone.
As you work, the adhesive may cool and harden. You may need to heat up the glass again as you work your way around the screen.

Step 16

Using a spudger, lift up the digitizer cable that is attached to the glass.
Be careful not to damage the cable. It is glued in place and hard to remove.

Step 17

Now that the cable has been removed you can slide it through the opening and detach the glass.
Be careful as you pull the cable through the opening. The cable is easily damaged.
Once the cable is pushed through the slot, the glass can be fully removed.

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Author

Jake

Member since: 19/04/12

515 Reputation

4 comments

Caution! It is IMPOSSIBLE to insert the cable of the digitizer through the opening without REMOVING FIRST the screen (not the digitizer).

The two parts of the cable of the digitizer (connector + chip) are glued together when you remove the broken one, but in the replacement, if you glue together they don't pass trought the hole without removing the screen.

If someone has arrived to pass them without removing the screen, congratulations: I've broken the cable of a new screen in the process :(

Hector Castillo -

I had to do this process twice, and here's what I've learned:

1) The motherboard does not need to be removed. I suspect this guide has you remove it so you don't damage any components when heating the screen, but there's no physical reason to remove it.

2) Yes, passing the digitizer cable/chip through the hole in the plastic housing is a royal PIA. I may have ruined the first screen I tried it with. Doh! For the second go round, instead of removing the LCD (like Hector recommends above), I just made the hole bigger. How, you ask? I took an emory nail file and trimmed it with scissors to be just narrower than the hole - then I filed away! With a few minutes of careful filing, I was able to double the size of the hole the cable has to pass through. Voila! There's still plenty of plastic left for the double-sided tape to be applied on the inside. Just be sure to clean up all the plastic dust first with a small vacuum or Q-tip before re-installing the screen.

Ben Lake -

tried this, broke first replacement digitizer screen , learned how to procede, Hector appears to be right if you remove the lcd screen it appears to double the size of the hole the cable passes through. what i would also like to see here are the following:

what material to use to "glue" the digitzer chip/connector together and in step 16 it shows the digitzer cable being removed from the metal it is attached to...how/what does one reattach it with?

Scott -

Did anyone ever answer how to glue the flat cable (ground?) back on?

julieistesting - 21/03/16